| Angela B. Corey | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1954 Jacksonville, Florida, USA |
| Education | Juris Doctor, University of Florida |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Employer | State of Florida |
| Title | State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit |
| Term | 2009-2013 |
| Predecessor | Harry Shorstein |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Angela B. Corey (born October 31, 1954) is an American lawyer currently serving as the State Attorney in Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Duval, Nassau and Clay counties. The first woman to hold the position, she was elected in 2008.[1]
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Corey was born and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where she attended Englewood High School. After graduation, she majored in Marketing at Florida State University before being convinced by professors to try a Legal career. She applied to University of Florida's Levin College of Law and was accepted. After completing her Juris Doctor degree, she did legal research while preparing for the Florida Bar examination, then spent 18 months defending medical malpractice lawsuits with Howell & Howell, PA. [2] She later became board certified in criminal trial law. [2]
She was hired by Ed Austin in 1981 during his tenure as State Attorney from 1975-1991, and remained an Assistant State Attorney after Harry Shorstein was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1991.[3] During her 26 years as a prosecutor, she tried several hundred cases, which included 54 homicides.[4]
In 1996, her primary responsibility became homicide prosecutions, but she also supervised lawyers in the Felony division. Shorstein changed Corey's work assignment in 2005 from director of the Gun Crime Unit to director of the County Court, which handles misdemeanors. In that position, she trained newly hired lawyers to be prosecutors. She previously served as Juvenile division supervisor.[4]
Corey made the decision to run for the office of State Attorney in 2006. After her candidacy became known, her working relationship with Shorstein became difficult.[4] He terminated her employment in November 2006. In a video statement, Shorstein stated the following: "Angela Corey was fired for insubordination. The sate attorney must be a tough prosecutor who represents the people. A State Attorney must be a leader, with the right temperament and sound judgement. I fired Angela Corey because she refused to do the job."[5] [4] Afterwards, she was hired by John Tanner, State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, to perform the same job functions she did in Jacksonville, working homicide cases in St. Johns County.[2][6]
The following day, Shorstein called a news conference and announced that he would retire at the end of his current term and not run for re-election in 2008.[7] In the following election, Shorstein supported his chief assistant, Jay Plotkin. On August 26, 2008, Corey defeated Plotkin with more than 64% of the votes cast.[8]
Upon taking office, Corey terminated 10 assistant state attorneys, over half of the investigators, and 48 support employees.[9][10][11]
In 2010, the Florida Times-Union reported that Corey sent 230 juvenile felony cases to adult court in 2009. This amounted to twice the number of juvenile felony cases placed in adult court in the years prior to Corey becoming State Attorney.[12]
In March of 2011, Corey sought to indict a 12 year old Jacksonville, Florida resident, Cristian Fernandez, on charges of homicide and aggravated child abuse. The grand jury made the decision to indict Fernandez. Corey made the decision to try the juvenile as an adult, subjecting him to a life without parole sentence in adult prison as a result of indicting him on murder and an additional felony.[13]
Cristian Fernandez was charged in the death of his two year old brother, David. Allegedly David sustained head injuries in the care of his older brother. The mother would later claim she left the two children home even though Cristian had broken the child's leg a few months earlier while wrestling with him. Upon learning that her youngest child was unconscious as a result of his injuries, the mother waited approximately six hours to drive her son to the hospital.[14] David survived under the care of doctors for two days before succumbing to his injuries. A doctor told detectives that if the mother had obtained treatment for the toddler immediately upon learning of his injuries he might have survived.[15]
Though there is no evidence Cristian intended to cause the death of his brother, the additional felony charge releases Corey from the obligation of proving the murder was premeditated.
Corey informed the public through the media that it was not her intention to expose Cristian to a life without parole sentence. She stated he would not stand trial and that he would not serve life without parole. She also made the statement that the case "would end in a plea deal." [16] Corey's statements came in response to advocacy efforts aimed at urging the State Attorney to reconsider her approach to the prosecution of the twelve year old.
More than 175,000 people signed a petition on Change.org asking Corey to allow Cristian's case to go to juvenile court. The petition was started by juvenile justice advocate and garnered international attention.[17] The same advocate also maintains a web site for Cristian's case and other cases where juveniles are tried as adults.[18]
Corey responded to the petition and other advocacy efforts by stating, "Quite frankly, I resent people who don't know anything about this case espousing opinions without knowing all of the facts and circumstances."[19] She also told another news outlet that she doesn't "prosecute by petition".[20]
In early December of 2011, Cristian's public defenders rejected the plea deal offered by the State Attorney. The plea deal, though not available to the public, was discussed by a number of news outlets. The deal required Cristian to admit to second degree murder and serve until he was 21. The State Attorney of Florida does not have the authority to determine whether the entire sentence is served in juvenile court when a case is handled in the adult criminal system. This meant that Cristian could spend three of the last years of the sentence in an adult prison.[21]
Immediately upon the public defenders' rejection of the plea deal, Corey told the media she would be seeking an additional indictment for an alleged prior sexual molestation of a younger brother.[21] Corey had known about the supposed sexual molestation around the time Cristian was indicted through a grand jury; however, she waited to seek an indictment until after the defense rejected the plea arrangement.
Cristian's trial is scheduled for February 27 of 2012. If convicted, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.[22].
On December 12, 2011, Corey told First Coast News that she did not pursue charges against Cristian in juvenile court for the following reason: "In the juvenile system, we can only incarcerate or have him contained for not even two years, and that is not an option to protect the community. However, we understand at his young age he deserves a chance at rehabilitation. The plea deal we have offered would combine those two things."[23]
The Southern Poverty Law Center spoke out against this claim, stating the State Attorney's claim was "just not true".[24] David Utter, the Policy Director, expounded on this by stating the following:
"Florida law grants the juvenile system broad discretion to handle the treatment and rehabilitation of children like Cristian, including the power to imprison a child until he has been sufficiently rehabilitated. Because of this, the juvenile justice system is better situated to protect public safety. The juvenile courts can retain jurisdiction over children until the age of 21. Most importantly, the juvenile system promotes treatment and rehabilitation — including requiring mental health treatment where necessary — while the adult system simply does not."[24]
Advocates for Cristian Fernandez have been vocal in their criticism of Corey. A Jacksonville resident, whose son went to school with Cristian, discussed her concerns about Corey's handling of the case in a letter to the Florida Times-Union.[25]
A petition seeking Corey's removal from office was started at change.org and has now exceeded one thousand signatures. [26]
Since the 1990s, Corey has taught legal concepts at a number of schools, including the University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville and the Florida Police Corps. Topics range from interrogation techniques to search and seizure to courtroom demeanor.[3] Due to her extensive homicide experience, she receives training requests from law enforcement agencies all over the United States.[2]
The Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency gave her their Criminal Justice Distinguished Award; the Florida Department of Corrections honored her as a Role Model for Women in the Area of Criminal Justice award; the Mayor's Victim Assistance Advisory Council bestowed the Judicial Victim Advocate Award; and Corey received the Distinguished Service Award from the office where she's now the boss.[2]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harry Shorstein |
State Attorney, 4th Judicial Circuit 2009–2012 |
Succeeded by incumbent |